, mottoeng = The word gives light , established = , religious_affiliation =

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, type = Federated

theological college A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

, principal = Ernest van Eck , city =

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, province =

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, country = Canada , coordinates = , campus = Urban , academic_affiliations = AUCC (full membership through the University of Toronto), ATS (accreditation), TST , website = , logo = Knox College Logo.svg Knox College 5218

Knox College is a

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada. It was founded in 1844 as part of a

schism A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...

movement in the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

following the

Disruption of 1843 The Disruption of 1843, also known as the Great Disruption, was a schism in 1843 in which 450 evangelical ministers broke away from the Church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland. The main conflict was over whether the Church of S ...

. Knox is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Canada and confers doctoral degrees as a member school of the Toronto School of Theology.

History

Controversy arising from the issue of state control in the Church of Scotland led to the Disruption of 1843 and the establishment of the Free Church of Scotland. In response, several

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

ministers and congregations within the Canadian

synod A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''wikt:synod, synod'' comes from the meaning "assembly" or "meeting" and is analogous with the Latin ...

of the Church of Scotland switched their affiliation to the new denomination. Queen's College, a Presbyterian seminary in Kingston, decided in 1844 to remain affiliated with the Church of Scotland, prompting some of its students to defect and establish Knox College in Toronto. Named for

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process by which Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke with the Pope, Papacy and developed a predominantly Calvinist national Church of Scotland, Kirk (church), which was strongly Presbyterianism, Presbyterian in ...

theologian

John Knox John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgat ...

, the new college became affiliated with the Free Church.University of Toronto
/ref> Knox College Toronto 1887

The first class included 14 students and took place on November 5, 1844, in the home of Rev. Henry Esson on James Street, at the present site of

Toronto Eaton Centre The Toronto Eaton Centre (corporately styled as the CF Toronto Eaton Centre since September 2015, and commonly referred to simply as the Eaton Centre) is a shopping mall and office complex in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is ...

. For the next two years, Knox College transitioned to larger buildings acquired at Adelaide Street and later Front Street, at the present site of the

Fairmont Royal York Hotel The Fairmont Royal York, formerly and still commonly known as the Royal York, is a large historic luxury hotel in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located along Front Street West, the hotel is situated at the southern end of the Financial District, in ...

. Scottish minister Rev. Dr. Michael Willis, the founding president of the Anti-Slavery Society of Canada (1851), became the first principal of the college in 1857. Willis came to Toronto in 1846 from

St. John's Renfield Church, Glasgow St. John's Renfield Church is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, serving Kelvindale in the west end of Glasgow, Scotland. It is within the Church of Scotland's Presbytery of Glasgow. Location The church building is situated in Beaconsfie ...

, where he followed

Thomas Chalmers Thomas Chalmers (17 March 178031 May 1847), was a Scottish minister, professor of theology, political economist, and a leader of both the Church of Scotland and of the Free Church of Scotland. He has been called "Scotland's greatest nine ...

and took part in the Disruption of 1843. Knox was formally granted its charter from the colonial government in 1858, thereby possessing the authority to confer academic degrees. In 1861, the Canada Presbyterian Church was created from the union of the Canadian synods of the Free Church of Scotland with the

United Presbyterian Church of Scotland The United Presbyterian Church (1847–1900) was a Scottish Presbyterian denomination. It was formed in 1847 by the union of the United Secession Church and the Relief Church, and in 1900 merged with the Free Church of Scotland to form the Unit ...

. Knox College absorbed the existing United Presbyterian Church theological college that was founded in London, Canada West in 1844. In 1867, Knox College assisted the establishment of

The Presbyterian College, Montreal The Presbyterian College/Le Collège Presbytérien, 3495 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, is a Theological College of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and is affiliated with McGill University through its School of Religious Studies. The Pre ...

, as the second theological college affiliated with the Canadian Presbyterian Church. Knox College donated some of the books from its library collection, and several Knox alumni served as faculty of The Presbyterian College. Uoft knox-cloisters

In 1875, Knox College moved to a new Gothic-revival building at

1 Spadina Crescent 1 Spadina Crescent, also known as the Daniels Building, is an academic building home to the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design at the University of Toronto (U of T) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building is situated ...

, and operated as the main seminary for the newly formed Presbyterian Church in Canada. Towards the end of the century, Knox began encouraging its students to attend non-divinity studies at the nearby

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

of the

. Knox College entered formal affiliation with the University of Toronto in 1885. In 1890, Knox College became part of the university within a federated governance structure. In 1915, Knox College moved to its present site adjacent to University College. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Knox College accommodated faculty and students from The Presbyterian College, Montreal, whose building was used for military training until 1946. In 1969, Knox became a founding member of the Toronto School of Theology. By virtue of an amendment of its charter, Knox College has granted theology degrees conjointly with the university and the Toronto School of Theology since 1978.

Ewart College Ewart College was a historical women's college located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church in Canada. In September 1991, it merged with Knox College, University of Toronto. Founded on October 11, 1897, it was then ...

, a women's college of the Presbyterian Church, was merged into Knox College in 1991. Founded in 1897, Ewart College was initially known as the ''Presbyterian Missionary and Deaconess Training School'' and then ''Ewart Missionary Training Home'' after Catherine Seaton Ewart in 1960. In 2005, Knox observed its 160th anniversary with a visit and lecture by

Alison Elliot Alison Elliot CBE FRSE (born 27 November 1948) is an honorary fellow at New College, Edinburgh. She was the former Associate Director of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2004 she became the ...

, the

Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the ministers and elders of the Church of Scotland, minister or elder chosen to moderate (chair) the annual General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, which is held for a week i ...

Campus and architecture

Knox college provides a number of facilities to the University of Toronto community, including Knox College Chapel. The chapel is noted for its Hellmuth Wolff organ. The chapel has a large south-facing window that is largely unobstructed by other buildings. As a result, natural sunlight streams in through the window. The glass is such that it softens the light to some degree, but without taking away its directionality. Seating is provided by two rows of pews on either side of the central aisle. There is a front piece in front of the frontmost pews for hymn books of those at the front of the congregation.

Chancel organ

This organ was built in 1915 by Casavant and is original to the building. It is split between two chambers at the front of the room and consists of 26 stops and 24 ranks. The

console Console may refer to: Computing and video games * System console, a physical device to operate a computer ** Virtual console, a user interface for multiple computer consoles on one device ** Command-line interface, a method of interacting with ...

was replaced in 1959, and in 1974 a four-rank mixture was added to the Great. It has Ventil chests and electro-pneumatic action.

Gallery organ

In 1991, a second, 32-stop, three-manual instrument was added in a new rear gallery
(photo)(photo)
It is an historically oriented organ in the North German baroque style, built as Opus 33 by Wolff & Associés of

Laval, Quebec Laval (; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is in the southwest of the province, north of Montreal. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third-largest city in the province after Montreal and Quebec City, and the thirteenth largest city in C ...

. The pipework is modelled on the Johan Niclas Cahman organ at Leufsta Bruk, Sweden from 1726/28. The case, though, is a modern interpretation of north-European style that does not refer to any particular historic instrument. The key action and stop action are both mechanical. The two bellows can be pumped either by foot or with an electric blower. Notably, the Wolff organ is tuned to a modified fifth comma meantone temperament devised by Harald Vogel following 17th-century Swedish theorists. This same tuning has been used for the

Arp Schnitger Arp Schnitger (2 July 164828 July 1719 (buried)) was an influential Northern German organ builder. Considered the most paramount manufacturer of his time, Schnitger built or rebuilt over 150 organs. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, es ...

organ in

Norden Norden is a Scandinavian and German word, directly translated as "the North". It may refer to: Places England * Norden, Basingstoke, a ward of Basingstoke and Deane * Norden, Dorset, a hamlet near Corfe Castle * Norden, Greater Manchester, a vi ...

, Germany.Here are two brief introductions to organ temperament

/ref>

Academics

Knox College is a wholly postgraduate institution, conferring four master's degrees and two doctorate degrees. It administers both academic programs for the general-interest study of theology and professional programs. The basic degree program comprises the degrees of Master of Divinity, Master of Pastoral Studies, Master of Theological Studies and Master of Religious Education. The advanced degrees of Master of Arts in Theology, Master of Theology, Doctor of Philosophy in Theological Studies and Doctor of Ministry are awarded conjointly with the

. *Certificate in Theological Studies (C.T.S) *Master of Divinity (M.Div.) *Master of Pastoral Studies (M.P.S.) *Master of Theological Studies (M.T.S.) *Master of Arts in Theology (M.A. h. *Master of Theology (Th.M.) *Doctor of Philosophy in Theological Studies (Ph.D. .S. *Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)

Principals

Michael Willis Michael Willis, (born October 4, 1949), is an American television and movie character actor. Willis' credits include movie roles in ''Pushing Tin'' and ''Men in Black'', and several episodes of '' Law & Order''. Willis was born in Lancaster, P ...

(1857–1870) * William Caven (1873–1904) * William MacLaren (1904–1909) * Alfred Gandier (1909–1925; became principal of Emmanuel College) * Thomas Eakin (1926–1940) * Walter W. Bryden (1945–1952) * Stanley Glen (1952–1976) * Allan Farris (1976–1977 death) * J. Charles Hay (1978–1985) * Donald J. M. Corbett (1985–1990) * Arthur Van Seters (1992–1999) * J. Dorcas Gordon (1999–2017) * John A. Vissers (2017-2022) * Ernest van Eck (2022-) A number of faculty have served as Acting Principal during vacancies and sabbaticals. The convener of the Board of Governors of Knox College is Randal Phillips.

References

Malcolm McGrath on Knox College pipe organ imgp8975p

External links

* {{authority control Gothic Revival architecture in Toronto Presbyterian universities and colleges Presbyterian Church in Canada Seminaries and theological colleges in Canada Collegiate Gothic architecture Colleges of the University of Toronto